This warm-up match had become a futile exercise long before it was condemned to a draw. There were 10 overs remaining when the captains shook hands but, despite England having a decent chance of forcing victory, few would have argued with the decision. If ever a game was crying out for euthanasia it was this one. It should probably have been sent to a Swiss clinic after the third day.

It speaks volumes for the facile nature of the cricket that Nick Compton, having batted for over two-and-a-half hours, went to the nets for more meaningful practise moments after having been dismissed. He and Jonathan Trott had, after all, faced just 12 deliveries of spin between them during their first-wicket partnership of 162 in 51.3 overs.

More significant was the action on the practice ground. Both Stuart Broad and Steven Finn were able to bowl at full pace and, though Broad was perhaps not quite himself - he did not deliver a bouncer or ask for a review in five or six overs of bowling - Finn looked impressive. It remains to be seen if they suffer any reaction to the spells over the next day or two but, for now, both look to have a decent chance of being available for Test selection. Graeme Swann will also rejoin the squad on Monday having briefly returned to the UK due to a family illness.

On the pitch, Trott completed the 30th century of his first-class career. He struck the ball well but did not face a single delivery from Amit Mishra, the legspinner who has played 13 Tests for India, and will know that he will encounter much less modest bowling in the Test series.

It is open to debate how much use these warm-up games have been. While most expect the battle between India's spinners and England's batsmen to define the series, England have had little chance to prepare for that specific battle. Despite having played three warm-up games, England have faced just 13.2 overs of spin in the second innings combined: less than 11% of the second innings overs they have faced. None of them have been against what might be described as high-quality spin bowling.

While the tactic - and it is hard to believe it is not a deliberate tactic - of denying England exposure to good quality spin bowling or even spin-friendly conditions may be controversial, it is also legitimate. India would be foolish not to tailor conditions to suit them - the point of home advantage would be negated otherwise - and have, in all other ways, extended every courtesy to England. The BCCI exercised some magnanimity by allowing England to use a substitute wicketkeeper when Matt Prior was taken ill against Haryana - the Laws make it quite clear that the umpires could not allow it - and it is worth remembering that when India toured England in 2011 Northamptonshire rested several first-choice bowlers for their tour game. The days when domestic sides fielded their strongest team against touring sides are, in any country by and large, long gone.

Besides, the tactic may backfire. England's batsmen have enjoyed prolonged time at the crease - albeit against some very modest bowling - and several of the bowlers have experienced the heat of battle. Playing England into form - four of the top six have recorded centuries in the warm-up games - and confidence could come back to bite. Not so long ago, when Australia and West Indies were at their strongest, most of their domestic sides that played England gave them an almighty battle. The effect was to wear and demoralise the tourists.

England's more significant worries concern the lack of match bowling that Finn and Broad have experienced and the unconvincing nature of their slip catching. Alastair Cook, in particular, has some work to do if he is to make the first slip position his own. The thought of dropping Sachin Tendulkar early is enough to keep an England supporter awake at night with anxiety.

Some might point to the fact that they lost five wickets for 14 runs in the first innings and five wickets for 34 runs in the second. But, on both occasions, the batsmen were thrashing out in a scenario that will not be replicated in the Test series. On this occasion, Matt Prior was run out, backing up, after the bowler, Jayant Yadav, got a hand on Ian Bell's straight drive and the ball ricocheted onto the stumps, while Compton was caught down the leg side and Kevin Pietersen was caught on the long-on boundary.

There was, briefly, a moment when it appeared England might win this game on the last afternoon. When Haryana, chasing a most improbable 442 to win, slipped to 110 for 6 with nearly an hour to go, England had every opportunity to push for the win. But, realising that such an outcome was largely meaningless and that they had garnered all they could from the game, the sides agreed to shake hands early.

The bowlers had worked hard enough, by then. Stuart Meaker again generated the most pace, Tim Bresnan also bowled with good hostility and control, while Graham Onions found the rhythm that had been absent during the first innings and looked a much-improved bowler. Monty Panesar was tight as ever but, on a slightly worn pitch, generated just a little spin, while Samit Patel earned a wicket with a well-disguised change of pace. For Haryana, Nitin Saini produced a pleasing half-century, but England know this was a game and a warm-up period that offered a pale imitation of the far sterner tests that await.

@jmcilhinney - I think the Eng are looking for something like this and they are finding it. If Amit mishra really was asked not to bowl to Eng, then why did he bowl 17.1 overs in the first innings? Couldn't there be some other reason (injury, insignificant match state, give a chance to team mates etc.) for him not bowling in the second innings considering he is the captain of that team?

In the India-A match, while for england it was a practice match, for indians it was really about showing one's worth to be selected in the main team. The 3 spinners were already finalized, and india just needed to finalize on the batsmen and backup pacemen. If you observe the paceman who had the best performance in that match (Ashok Dinda) is now in the main team as a replacement for Ishant Sharma (preferred over Vinay Kumar and Irfan Pathan, both more experienced).

In the second match, Eng played against Mumbai-A NOT Mumbai, and so they faced their backup spinner Nikhil Patil.

POSTED BY
zenboomerang
on | November 13, 2012, 9:12 GMT

@George Dobell :- "The days when domestic sides fielded their strongest team against touring sides are, in any country by and large, long gone"...

Another typical sub-average writer that bags all other countries - especially Oz... Perhaps you could limit that comment to Eng & Ind at present... George, do you live by the supposition that its ok for Eng to do it, as long as no one else does the same?...
What about the Eng v Oz tour last time down under?... 3x3day & 1x4day warm-up matches... All good pitches & all good strong teams with a number of sporting declarations...
Last tour to SA by Eng it started with a T20 series with 3 warm-ups; a 5xODI series with a warm-up; followed by another warm-up match with good opposition before the Test series... 12 matches before the Test series started...
Would also add NZ, Pak, WI's to the list that doesn't follow your biased logic...

POSTED BY
jmcilhinney
on | November 13, 2012, 1:24 GMT

@Sachin Chaudhari on (November 11 2012, 19:50 PM GMT), that's a quite different situation. England certainly did not deny India bowlers for bet practice but do you really consider it reasonable that the ECB allow their #2 spinner and someone who was a decent chance of playing in the Test series bowl to the Indian batsmen in the nets?

POSTED BY
jmcilhinney
on | November 13, 2012, 1:18 GMT

@yoohoo on (November 12 2012, 14:08 PM GMT), like so many other India supporters, you're missing the point. It's not the standard of the opposition that is the issue. It's the makeup. As you say, Mishra is one of the better spinners in India and he was in the Haryana team, yet he didn't bowl an over out of 76 in the second innings. Is he in the team as a batting all-rounder? Also, the India A team in the first warmup didn't contain a frontline spinner. Can any India fan honestly say that the second best squad available to the India selectors to play in India doesn't include a frontline spinner? No way. People say that Yuvraj took some wickets but that's hardly the point. It's the intention that is the issue. I say again, it is within the rules and I think that India generally play cricket in a very sportsmanlike manner, e.g. recalling Ian Bell and whichever SL batsman it was who was run out backing up, but I think that this is a dirty tactic and doesn't reflect well on Indian cricket.

POSTED BY
yoohoo
on | November 12, 2012, 14:08 GMT

There has been a lot of complaints about the quality of the bowling attack. These are the standard bowlers of those teams, just because you don't know their names does not mean they are bad bowlers! Amit Mishra is one of the India Probables and in the top 10 indian spin bowlers currently (he even played in the series in eng), and he bowled 17 overs in the haryana match! We don't know any of the Somerset or northamtonshire bowlers either (who played warm-ups against india), so should we think they are low quality too?

POSTED BY
CricketingStargazer
on | November 12, 2012, 13:51 GMT

@JG, at the time, Northants were runaway leaders of Division 2, so they were most certainly realistic opposition. It is hard to imagine anyone suggesting that Somerset, one of the most consistent sides of the last 25 years and rarely out of contention for titles (even if they seem to find remarkable ways of not winning them) are not realistic opposition. It's all a storm in a tea cup anyway. For England it is about middle time, getting acclimatised and spending a day and a half in the field chasing leather and learning how to take wickets. The best day of preparation was the day on a flat pitch where nothing happened for the bowlers because that really was preparing them for some hard work in the Tests. We'll see how it pans out, but there is nothing like a run transfusion to build confidence in batsmen... a run transfusion that they most notably did not have before the Pakistan series. Are England being lulled into a false sense of security? We'll see next week!!

POSTED BY
yoohoo
on | November 12, 2012, 13:33 GMT

@sensible-indian-fan - You are exaggerating. The pitches are the same, as what you would find in actual tests, which is batting tracks on days 1-3 and then spinning on day 4 & 5. The problem for england was that all the practice matches were 3-day matches, so they never ended up facing the day 4&5 pitch. And secondly, Amit Mishra DID bowl a LOT of overs in this match (17 ov) in the match. So, what is the problem here? And don't tell me about the practice that somerset gave indians (Suresh Raina made 103, so you can make a guess on the conditions and the bowlers)!

POSTED BY
on | November 12, 2012, 11:54 GMT

@ Arnab - I thnk only the third game was first class status. No one in the England camp is complaining. Cooke said he would like his side to have faced more spin - a statement of fact, and that is the only word I have heard from an official England source. The MEDIA are making up a storm, but no-one in England cares enough about a game on slow dull pitches that is on in before breakfast during the freezing cold dark working week here in the UK. I doubt 50,000 will either watch or listen to these matches in total here in the UK - because test cricket on slow Indian pitches is very very dull indeed.

POSTED BY
ChobeMonster
on | November 12, 2012, 10:23 GMT

@Arnab Banerjee. I agree with you about the BCCI's prerogative in organizing the tour matches. But I haven't heard the players complain, as usual it's the media that's carping. Please don't make the mistake of assuming that a journalist is representing the views of the team.

POSTED BY
Erebus26
on | November 12, 2012, 10:07 GMT

That England will face good quality spin in the test matches is open to debate. I think for the first time in a while England have three spinners that can match India's. Harbhajan has been a great bowler but is past his prime, whilst Ojha and Ashwin are no better than Swann and Panesar. I have no problem with India's tactics, although I feel England will cope better in India than India did in English conditions.

POSTED BY
yoohoo
on | November 14, 2012, 5:44 GMT

@jmcilhinney - I think the Eng are looking for something like this and they are finding it. If Amit mishra really was asked not to bowl to Eng, then why did he bowl 17.1 overs in the first innings? Couldn't there be some other reason (injury, insignificant match state, give a chance to team mates etc.) for him not bowling in the second innings considering he is the captain of that team?

In the India-A match, while for england it was a practice match, for indians it was really about showing one's worth to be selected in the main team. The 3 spinners were already finalized, and india just needed to finalize on the batsmen and backup pacemen. If you observe the paceman who had the best performance in that match (Ashok Dinda) is now in the main team as a replacement for Ishant Sharma (preferred over Vinay Kumar and Irfan Pathan, both more experienced).

In the second match, Eng played against Mumbai-A NOT Mumbai, and so they faced their backup spinner Nikhil Patil.

POSTED BY
zenboomerang
on | November 13, 2012, 9:12 GMT

@George Dobell :- "The days when domestic sides fielded their strongest team against touring sides are, in any country by and large, long gone"...

Another typical sub-average writer that bags all other countries - especially Oz... Perhaps you could limit that comment to Eng & Ind at present... George, do you live by the supposition that its ok for Eng to do it, as long as no one else does the same?...
What about the Eng v Oz tour last time down under?... 3x3day & 1x4day warm-up matches... All good pitches & all good strong teams with a number of sporting declarations...
Last tour to SA by Eng it started with a T20 series with 3 warm-ups; a 5xODI series with a warm-up; followed by another warm-up match with good opposition before the Test series... 12 matches before the Test series started...
Would also add NZ, Pak, WI's to the list that doesn't follow your biased logic...

POSTED BY
jmcilhinney
on | November 13, 2012, 1:24 GMT

@Sachin Chaudhari on (November 11 2012, 19:50 PM GMT), that's a quite different situation. England certainly did not deny India bowlers for bet practice but do you really consider it reasonable that the ECB allow their #2 spinner and someone who was a decent chance of playing in the Test series bowl to the Indian batsmen in the nets?

POSTED BY
jmcilhinney
on | November 13, 2012, 1:18 GMT

@yoohoo on (November 12 2012, 14:08 PM GMT), like so many other India supporters, you're missing the point. It's not the standard of the opposition that is the issue. It's the makeup. As you say, Mishra is one of the better spinners in India and he was in the Haryana team, yet he didn't bowl an over out of 76 in the second innings. Is he in the team as a batting all-rounder? Also, the India A team in the first warmup didn't contain a frontline spinner. Can any India fan honestly say that the second best squad available to the India selectors to play in India doesn't include a frontline spinner? No way. People say that Yuvraj took some wickets but that's hardly the point. It's the intention that is the issue. I say again, it is within the rules and I think that India generally play cricket in a very sportsmanlike manner, e.g. recalling Ian Bell and whichever SL batsman it was who was run out backing up, but I think that this is a dirty tactic and doesn't reflect well on Indian cricket.

POSTED BY
yoohoo
on | November 12, 2012, 14:08 GMT

There has been a lot of complaints about the quality of the bowling attack. These are the standard bowlers of those teams, just because you don't know their names does not mean they are bad bowlers! Amit Mishra is one of the India Probables and in the top 10 indian spin bowlers currently (he even played in the series in eng), and he bowled 17 overs in the haryana match! We don't know any of the Somerset or northamtonshire bowlers either (who played warm-ups against india), so should we think they are low quality too?

POSTED BY
CricketingStargazer
on | November 12, 2012, 13:51 GMT

@JG, at the time, Northants were runaway leaders of Division 2, so they were most certainly realistic opposition. It is hard to imagine anyone suggesting that Somerset, one of the most consistent sides of the last 25 years and rarely out of contention for titles (even if they seem to find remarkable ways of not winning them) are not realistic opposition. It's all a storm in a tea cup anyway. For England it is about middle time, getting acclimatised and spending a day and a half in the field chasing leather and learning how to take wickets. The best day of preparation was the day on a flat pitch where nothing happened for the bowlers because that really was preparing them for some hard work in the Tests. We'll see how it pans out, but there is nothing like a run transfusion to build confidence in batsmen... a run transfusion that they most notably did not have before the Pakistan series. Are England being lulled into a false sense of security? We'll see next week!!

POSTED BY
yoohoo
on | November 12, 2012, 13:33 GMT

@sensible-indian-fan - You are exaggerating. The pitches are the same, as what you would find in actual tests, which is batting tracks on days 1-3 and then spinning on day 4 & 5. The problem for england was that all the practice matches were 3-day matches, so they never ended up facing the day 4&5 pitch. And secondly, Amit Mishra DID bowl a LOT of overs in this match (17 ov) in the match. So, what is the problem here? And don't tell me about the practice that somerset gave indians (Suresh Raina made 103, so you can make a guess on the conditions and the bowlers)!

POSTED BY
on | November 12, 2012, 11:54 GMT

@ Arnab - I thnk only the third game was first class status. No one in the England camp is complaining. Cooke said he would like his side to have faced more spin - a statement of fact, and that is the only word I have heard from an official England source. The MEDIA are making up a storm, but no-one in England cares enough about a game on slow dull pitches that is on in before breakfast during the freezing cold dark working week here in the UK. I doubt 50,000 will either watch or listen to these matches in total here in the UK - because test cricket on slow Indian pitches is very very dull indeed.

POSTED BY
ChobeMonster
on | November 12, 2012, 10:23 GMT

@Arnab Banerjee. I agree with you about the BCCI's prerogative in organizing the tour matches. But I haven't heard the players complain, as usual it's the media that's carping. Please don't make the mistake of assuming that a journalist is representing the views of the team.

POSTED BY
Erebus26
on | November 12, 2012, 10:07 GMT

That England will face good quality spin in the test matches is open to debate. I think for the first time in a while England have three spinners that can match India's. Harbhajan has been a great bowler but is past his prime, whilst Ojha and Ashwin are no better than Swann and Panesar. I have no problem with India's tactics, although I feel England will cope better in India than India did in English conditions.

POSTED BY
Charlie101
on | November 12, 2012, 9:52 GMT

I went to the India v Northampton game during the tour and 3 things struck me .

1. Dravid on his fitness regime running around and around the field looking professional and fit . We all know how well he batted during the tour.
2. A number of Indian players looking unfit and over weight ( Zaheer and Sehwag ). They did not join Dravid !!!
3. The Northampton pace bowlers making every effort to generate pace and stick it to the Indian batsmen.
This was a propr tour match with County players out to talk a few famous scalps.

POSTED BY
sensible-indian-fan
on | November 12, 2012, 9:33 GMT

@Sachin Chaudhari - The Panesar incident was not a pleasant one, I agree but hey that's absolutely their call. Would we be ok if Cook specifically asks for practice with Mishra (hey, just like Panesar, he too is not in the main squad)? Fact is that, India asked for just one 3 day practice game and they got a decent team where pacers were not hidden. So please check the context of the facts. @VictorK - Good point. As an Indian, I want India to thrash England but what we did with the warm up games (especially this one) was just pathetic.

POSTED BY
JG2704
on | November 12, 2012, 9:09 GMT

@Cpt.Meanster on (November 11 2012, 17:31 PM GMT) For once I have to agree with pretty much all you say. It's up to India how they go about things. If India agreed that they would give England similar pitches to what they'll use in the tests or that they would give Eng much needed spinning practice then that's a different matter. The plan may well work but if it backfires then it will be said that India handed England some initiative/momentum. I'm always of the opinion that you should try and dent the oppositions confidence as opposed to giving them a false sense of security.

POSTED BY
JG2704
on | November 12, 2012, 9:09 GMT

@sensible-indian-fan on (November 11 2012, 14:08 PM GMT) - Living up to your user name again. Northants are not a great side but regardless - if memory serves me right - India played them after the 1st 2 tests which kind of defeats the object of a warm up game. The fact is that India were already in deep trouble before they played them. PS - Sorry just realised you'd already found out the Northants game was played half way through

@Sachin_Pankaj on (November 11 2012, 13:43 PM GMT) I'm sure we've done all this before where it was said that the Indian chiefs arranged their warm up games and the England chiefs do likewise for their sides. If BCCI weren't happy with just one warm up game do you think they'd have just gone along with it? They never even played Notts last year unless my memory is going, They played one game vs Somerset (pre series) which they were very poor in and Somerset even had the England captain guesting for them although I think Tres might have rested for that game. and if you are doubting that it was not a strong side then I guess that just magnifies how bad India played. I don't think I've known such a factually incorrect rant. Please publish

POSTED BY
JG2704
on | November 12, 2012, 9:07 GMT

To be honest , if England are a decent side they'll learn to adapt/raise their game etc. I don't have a huge problem with India's tactics. As others have pointed it could also backfire on India because they are giving England some sort of momentum. Obviously Eng could have tried to arrange a practice game or 2 with a SL 11 etc.

POSTED BY
on | November 12, 2012, 8:51 GMT

All touring sides should be denied the wet, damp English weather conditions and the green swinging, seeming pitches. They should be made to play on hot, sunny days only on perfect, hard, brown pitches. No leg break, off break, unorthodox spin bowlers would not be allowed to play and only seriously fast bowlers that can move it both ways AS IF - DREAM ON

POSTED BY
on | November 12, 2012, 8:17 GMT

England got three practice matches- an unheard of tradition in the modern game. BCCI arranged all that. Now a practice match is ultimately a first class game and it is sad to see that England wants to treat them a practice against spin. Being the host, the first class sides can prepare whatever pitches they want and whichever team they want to play. Why are the English complaining all the time!

POSTED BY
davidatlas999
on | November 12, 2012, 6:45 GMT

@sachin choudry if panesar say i want SRT in nets SRT is not going to net right now.you want a quality bowler in your net practice if they did not want be with that.

POSTED BY
jango_moh
on | November 12, 2012, 5:50 GMT

wow, im sure george dobell wont be complaining if the roles were reversed, instead he would be talking about the tactics of it and how interesting it is etc!!! stop complaining!!!! if ENG r good enuf they will win this series, i personally think eng hve a chance since india have new faces esp in batting....

POSTED BY
on | November 12, 2012, 4:40 GMT

first india test team in last 25 years that doesn't look like a test team. I won't be surprised if India are routed 4-0 or 3-0 in this one. They've been outstanding at home all these years but, all good things must come to an end. It's not the bowling (which is avg) but, the batting looks very bleak - only 2 proper test batsman and both out of form big time - Tendulkar and Sehwag. And the rest aint test batsmen at all except for an odd Gambhir.

POSTED BY
VictorK
on | November 12, 2012, 0:00 GMT

There are some Indian fans here who care about their country's image and about Tests as a spectacle. For the others I think a few points are in order.

When India toured, Somerset were strong and would likely have won if the match was 5 days. SOM 425/3 & 260/2 vs IND 224 and 69/0.

And the English tests were not played on difficult pitches - as evidenced by the massive scores that England (and Dravid!) racked up. They weren't green tops.

The issue here is that not picking/bowling a spinner is a matter of screwing with England's preparation. No one is saying that Ashwin, Ojha, H Singh etc should be out there giving them practice (which is akin to the Panesar situation) but there should have been a normally balanced attack picked. In India, this would always include at least one spinner, normally two!

Eng gave Ind quality opposition with an appropiate attack, on a suitable pitch. They have not extended us the same courtesy. It stinks to high heaven. I hope it backfires on them.

POSTED BY
A_Vacant_Slip
on | November 11, 2012, 21:27 GMT

@Sachin_Pankaj on (November 11 2012, 13:43 PM GMT) there is very sour fruit - grape; and clearly you have spent too much time chewing on them.

POSTED BY
InsideHedge
on | November 11, 2012, 21:23 GMT

Anyone know if the hapless Amit Mishra bowled a load of no-balls? Never have I seen a "spinner" overstep as much as him. A lot is being made of how he didn't bowl many overs but, quite frankly, even if he had it wouldn't have made any difference to the number of deliveries faced by English batters against spin - since he can't spin the ball, they simply go straight! He might be able to make something of his career if he concentrates on his batting, I was really impressed by his Oval effort last year, I thought he out-batted Tendulkar in their century+ partnership.

POSTED BY
sensible-indian-fan
on | November 11, 2012, 21:08 GMT

@Cpt.Meanster - I always like your comments but I think what BCCI did in this case wasn't fair. Ok, it was fair under the technical rules but that's where the problem is. How would it be if England makes a spin track and fields only spinners against us for warm up games when we tour there? Now let's make it even more accurate. How would it be if there were a few pacers in their team but they are not used even when their team is getting thrashed by us. Point is that no one is asking India to prepare rank turners and give England the best spin practice. All one is asking is a reasonable practice which India did get (at least in England). That could have been done with flat tracks and okayish spinners. I just think BCCI and the Indian selectors have taken it too far in this case.

POSTED BY
sk12
on | November 11, 2012, 20:31 GMT

Its hard to define this as even a tactic. Our board/players are just plain afraid of Eng batsmen, and there is no better way of conveying this to the visitors than this 'tactic'. I find this strange, IMO its their bowlers we need to be wary of. That their pacers are back to full fitness is a worrying sign.

POSTED BY
on | November 11, 2012, 19:50 GMT

sensible-indian-fan let me remind you that on eng tour panesar was not allowed to bowl to indian in the nets espeiclaly when tendulkar has requested for. So please check the stats and fig 360 degree view and make a comment.

POSTED BY
Cpt.Meanster
on | November 11, 2012, 19:35 GMT

@Ravi Kiran: Yeap, it really wouldn't matter any more. To be honest with you, I DON'T CARE about Zaheer any more. Smart Indian fans will agree with me. Zaheer is living on borrowed time. His career is virtually over. At 34, he's pushing his luck. I am also equally disappointed at the lack of vision displayed by the new selection committee. It's the same old foul smell coming from the sewers. Same old policies, favouritism, hog wash portrayed by this group. Makes me think of Srikkanth as a saint. It's time for Indian cricket to move forward. It's time some of these old guys left the team, beginning with the GOD. Whether India wins or loses, there is no significance because they are ranked no.5 in test cricket. On the other hand, England have a lot to gain or lose. They are ranked no.2 and have a realistic shot to regain that no.1 title. It won't be easy but like some Indian fans think, it won't be a walk over victory for India either.

POSTED BY
on | November 11, 2012, 17:31 GMT

It won't matter too much if zaheer pulls hamstring on day 1 this series unlike England.

POSTED BY
Cpt.Meanster
on | November 11, 2012, 17:31 GMT

@Sachin_Pankaj: My friend, what you mentioned is totally wrong and inaccurate. I am an Indian supporter too but some of your words are simply not good for the health of a public forum. India ONLY requested 1 practice game because of the fatigue and travel issues as a result of the Caribbean tour before the tour to England last year. Also, have you ever heard of the word COMPLACENCY ? Cause if there was ever a situation for that word, then the attitude displayed by the Indian team on that tour to England is an appropriate one. Our team thought they could arrive and wallop England in their own backyard with the no.1 title at stake. Too bad, we got what we deserved. We were decimated 4-0 and still some of our fans talk as if we beat England. Please cut this attitude. Also, with the trouble Indian test cricket is in, we should hope our team doesn't face a women's XI or U19 team next time we tour the UK.

POSTED BY
Cpt.Meanster
on | November 11, 2012, 17:19 GMT

I think some people should STOP complaining. This is absolutely FAIR by the BCCI and within the rules of the game. India have been subjected to it many times themselves. I am sure the England team management simply wants to get on with it. Nothing compares to playing the real test match against supposedly the BEST opposition in a country. Haryana, or India A - England just wanted some practice games and they got what they asked. When you don't have control over certain elements of your tour, you can't do anything about it. I think the foolish media and press should STOP asking Alistair Cook repeated questions about lack of practice against spin. It's getting to a point where I would get really angry if I was Cook. I think BOTH teams are starting the series on level terms. Hopefully it's just a good series without bad blood.

POSTED BY
on | November 11, 2012, 16:47 GMT

I hope India does well in the tests. else cheap strategies displayed here+ not good results would be very embarrassing. BCCI has just lost its vision and looks like my fellow countrymen here,are following suite

POSTED BY
on | November 11, 2012, 16:01 GMT

The Somerset side that played India in 2011 was not weak. Willoughby and Thomas were first team regulars and Trego was a regular opening seamer in 2012. The simple truth of the matter is that Somerset batted first on a wicket giving the seamers generous help and the Indians bowled like absolute drains. As a sepectator at the game, I can assure the Indian fans that it was a lazy fielding display with certain members of the team showing all the athleticism of the QE2 around the field.

POSTED BY
binojpeter
on | November 11, 2012, 15:54 GMT

I don't know why Mishra did not bowl in the second innnings. But he bowled only 2 overs in the first innings and did not bowl in the second innings in the previous match against Vidarbha in which he was the captain and his team lost. Maybe he is suffering from finger injury or something. I don't know what's the deal with him.

See the link: http://www.espncricinfo.com/indian-domestic-2012/engine/match/574027.html

POSTED BY
2.14istherunrate
on | November 11, 2012, 15:53 GMT

It's probably fair to say that these games have bowled England batsmen into form. Success breeds success. And the bowlers are getting used to long spells in the heat, without reward. They will need patience in the Tests so it is good practice that way. It will mean they have to use their minds more.

POSTED BY
Akshita29
on | November 11, 2012, 15:51 GMT

@Sachin_Pankaj I have to disagree with you as an Indian fan.1st it was BCCI who never asked for an extra Warmup match in England because Dhoni and His men have such a busy Schedule playing IPL etc etc and they were never interested in playing extra warm ups . If BCCI had asked in advance England would have surely provided some more warm ups .Indians never admitted they are weak against Swing they were blind to the very fact .However English have admitted their weakness against spin and they want to improve by playing more warm ups and hence they asked for more . And not using DRS when every nation is ready to adopt it only i mean only India and BCCI is holding it back . There were so many unfair decisions against NZ which by the way is not a very strong team . Drs causes one or two controversies but 90 % time it's correct . Runout decisions are at times controversial but without Tech it would be like all decisions are controversial .

POSTED BY
CricketingStargazer
on | November 11, 2012, 15:50 GMT

@Sachin_Pankaj The ECB does not pick county sides (each county has its selection panel that does as it pleases). It does not give instructions on what pitches are to be prepared (beyond punishing those that are sub-standard). I know this seems unbelievable to those in India but county sides are *independent* of ECB control. Honest! Whatever happens in a tour is not actually all pre-determined by the ECB. The only thing that the ECB controls is the selection of sides to play the tourists according to how many games the tourists request. As India came almost straight from a tour of the Caribbean, they didn't actually feel that they needed much in the way of practice so they raised a lot of eyebrows by requesting very little.

POSTED BY
sensible-indian-fan
on | November 11, 2012, 14:34 GMT

Guys, India played against both Somerset (before the series) and Northampton (after 2 tests, it was a 2 day game). Here's the link - http://www.espncricinfo.com/england-v-india-2011/engine/series/474450.html

POSTED BY
Nutcutlet
on | November 11, 2012, 14:32 GMT

@sensible-indian-fan: as usual, your point here is thoughtful, fair & well made. All I can add is that those spinner-less 'attacks' on non-spinning tracks have been what England has been given & there must be, (indeed there has been) no wingeing:" Keep quiet & get on with it," has been the byword. In the spirit of the game? Indicative of a confident host? An auspicious sign of an upcoming series characterised by good sportsmanship? The uniform answer to all of the above gives me some cause for concern: a distinct feeling of unease. What lies behind all of this 'Let's-waste-their-time' attitude? Win-at-all-costs? I do see this series as a make-or-break time in Ango-Indian cricketing relationships. Now add in the DRS veto; the prepararion of a brand-new strip for the 1st Test (a high-risk strategy as I've said elsewhere) & I can see that the series may not be the sporting & competitive contest we all hope for. What is the bottom line? To destroy the aura of TC in India? I hope not...

POSTED BY
bumsonseats
on | November 11, 2012, 14:25 GMT

sensible-indian-fan nice to see a fan with the game as a whole in mind. it could open a can of worms, if all teams were to do this the game would be in uproar. i have know were test wickets are of a certain type but when the captain and a player come out dictating what kind of of wicket to prepare. but to go into games were the selection of the sides would lack spinners is the same as if india came to the uk and we played only spinners and no seam bowlers. but if the bcci think thats the spirit of cricket then the worlds the poorer for it. but the daft thing is they dont need to do that just make them typical indian wickets and under those conditions there would be no contest.

POSTED BY
alwaysindia
on | November 11, 2012, 14:24 GMT

@ Sachin pankaj very true.

POSTED BY
shillingsworth
on | November 11, 2012, 14:23 GMT

@Sachin_Pankaj - India only had one practice match prior to the 2011 test series because that is all that they requested. If they had asked for more matches, the ECB would have gladly obliged, as these games are welcome money spinners for the counties. The match in question was against Somerset (not Nottinghamshire as you state). The Somerset team included only 3 players who would not have been classed as first team regulars and a notable guest player - the England captain. Not only are your words harsh, they are also hopelessly inaccurate.

POSTED BY
sensible-indian-fan
on | November 11, 2012, 14:20 GMT

OK, I just heard that Mishra had a cut in his finger and felt pain when he tried to bowl (as if he would have bowled if he was fit). But Jayant didn't bowl more than 2 overs either and no one can justify what happened in the 1st innings.

POSTED BY
sensible-indian-fan
on | November 11, 2012, 14:08 GMT

@Sachin_Pankaj - I don't know how good or bad Northampton was but India struggled against them too. Moreover England never disgracefully stopped their fast bowlers from bowling against India. There is no way we can justify Mishra not bowling in the second innings. We could have atleast given England some okayish spinners in flat tracks but NO, in the name of stupid strategy, we take a disgraceful route. What Indian selectors did is not right. You know it. Accept the fact.

POSTED BY
on | November 11, 2012, 14:07 GMT

@Sachin_Pankaj - as has been pointed out endless times, it was India who only requested 1 game, in which Somerset (which some have complained was a weak team on a "green top" nearly bowled India out twice, whilst scoring 500+runs for 4 wickets (iirc). Don't blame the ECB for that! The other "warm ups" were one-day games, which clearly showed the Indian's priorities.... shame they didn't win those internationals either!

POSTED BY
on | November 11, 2012, 14:02 GMT

if england does its sensible.. if india does its senseless.. 300years da.. we are waiting

POSTED BY
QingdaoXI
on | November 11, 2012, 13:43 GMT

Poms have got what they had sowed year and half before in England, there was only one practise match before the test series started and that two ECB made it clear by showing 2nd XI of Notigamshire, this seed was sowed by you but the fruit is very sour now and you have to face it. So next time when India goes to England and if England continued same then beware england you will be playing vs Indian womens or u-12 teams. So correct the mistake you have done it otherwise be ready to face same situation when you travel back. I know this words are harsh, but if India does this than it is disgraceful, but if england does this it is just practise match and it is home team tactics. Shame on ECB and english supporters first think twice about the mistake you created a year and hallf before and than point out the finger on others and whitle pointing out fingers to other, think another 4 fingers are towards you. I hope you all have understand what i want to say, so better gel together.

POSTED BY
RandyOZ
on | November 11, 2012, 13:10 GMT

England is big trouble. Swann is as straight as a pin with his deliveries and they cannot handle any sport of spin themselves.

POSTED BY
FreddyForPrimeMinister
on | November 11, 2012, 13:05 GMT

Home teams have rightly used the advantage of preparing Test pitches that suit their own players but India's tactics during England's build up have been disgraceful. The deliberate tactic of preparing pitches in a touring sides' build up games that are completely the opposite of what they'll face in the Tests, and then refusing to pick any half decent spinners or, iin Mishra's case, not to bowl him shows utter disrespect for your opposition. It also shows the absolute fear that India have over England's batsmen learning to overcome their apparent weakness against quality spin bowling on turning wickets. When India return to tour England in 3 years; time, we should ensure that India's warm up matches are played against Derbyshire's under 15's girls team; and next time England tours India, we should play all our warm up matches in Pakistan or Sri Lanka. Cricket is a game for "gentlemen" - something which the Indian administrators are are clearly incapable of understanding.

POSTED BY
on | November 11, 2012, 13:01 GMT

Englan might as well have had nets in the middle against their own bowlng instead of playing this meaningless match. That way, at least they would have faced some decent bowling.

POSTED BY
gnanzcupid
on | November 11, 2012, 12:53 GMT

Hit however you may wish. Ultimately you will bite the dust my english foes. Cook will resign captaincy by the january 2013. New year wont be pleasant for team england. You people will feel ashamed to celebrate new year. Such will be the intensity of attack of team india.

POSTED BY
Kitschiguy
on | November 11, 2012, 12:21 GMT

"It is open to debate how much use these warm-up games have been." Hardly.

POSTED BY
Sobhan_Sachinfan
on | November 11, 2012, 12:13 GMT

Since all these boring practice matches are over, let us see how the real matches are fought. Good luck England. India are waiting.

POSTED BY
sensible-indian-fan
on | November 11, 2012, 12:11 GMT

As an Indian fan, I am TRULY ashamed by the fact that we deliberately didn't use spinners when they were in the playing 11. The moment selectors chose India A team without spinners, I felt bad but what happened in this match has left me truly embarrassed . There is a reason why Australia (at its peak) were hated and WI (at its peak) were loved. Maybe India will steamroll England in the 4 tests but it won't feel as great as it would if we had given them a little bit spin practice (nothing much was needed, just some okayish spinners on some flat tracks would have done it). I think India has crossed the limits and now we have to be prepared to face spinners in spin tracks (for warm up games) when we tour England. Its a sad day, indeed.

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POSTED BY
sensible-indian-fan
on | November 11, 2012, 12:11 GMT

As an Indian fan, I am TRULY ashamed by the fact that we deliberately didn't use spinners when they were in the playing 11. The moment selectors chose India A team without spinners, I felt bad but what happened in this match has left me truly embarrassed . There is a reason why Australia (at its peak) were hated and WI (at its peak) were loved. Maybe India will steamroll England in the 4 tests but it won't feel as great as it would if we had given them a little bit spin practice (nothing much was needed, just some okayish spinners on some flat tracks would have done it). I think India has crossed the limits and now we have to be prepared to face spinners in spin tracks (for warm up games) when we tour England. Its a sad day, indeed.

POSTED BY
Sobhan_Sachinfan
on | November 11, 2012, 12:13 GMT

Since all these boring practice matches are over, let us see how the real matches are fought. Good luck England. India are waiting.

POSTED BY
Kitschiguy
on | November 11, 2012, 12:21 GMT

"It is open to debate how much use these warm-up games have been." Hardly.

POSTED BY
gnanzcupid
on | November 11, 2012, 12:53 GMT

Hit however you may wish. Ultimately you will bite the dust my english foes. Cook will resign captaincy by the january 2013. New year wont be pleasant for team england. You people will feel ashamed to celebrate new year. Such will be the intensity of attack of team india.

POSTED BY
on | November 11, 2012, 13:01 GMT

Englan might as well have had nets in the middle against their own bowlng instead of playing this meaningless match. That way, at least they would have faced some decent bowling.

POSTED BY
FreddyForPrimeMinister
on | November 11, 2012, 13:05 GMT

Home teams have rightly used the advantage of preparing Test pitches that suit their own players but India's tactics during England's build up have been disgraceful. The deliberate tactic of preparing pitches in a touring sides' build up games that are completely the opposite of what they'll face in the Tests, and then refusing to pick any half decent spinners or, iin Mishra's case, not to bowl him shows utter disrespect for your opposition. It also shows the absolute fear that India have over England's batsmen learning to overcome their apparent weakness against quality spin bowling on turning wickets. When India return to tour England in 3 years; time, we should ensure that India's warm up matches are played against Derbyshire's under 15's girls team; and next time England tours India, we should play all our warm up matches in Pakistan or Sri Lanka. Cricket is a game for "gentlemen" - something which the Indian administrators are are clearly incapable of understanding.

POSTED BY
RandyOZ
on | November 11, 2012, 13:10 GMT

England is big trouble. Swann is as straight as a pin with his deliveries and they cannot handle any sport of spin themselves.

POSTED BY
QingdaoXI
on | November 11, 2012, 13:43 GMT

Poms have got what they had sowed year and half before in England, there was only one practise match before the test series started and that two ECB made it clear by showing 2nd XI of Notigamshire, this seed was sowed by you but the fruit is very sour now and you have to face it. So next time when India goes to England and if England continued same then beware england you will be playing vs Indian womens or u-12 teams. So correct the mistake you have done it otherwise be ready to face same situation when you travel back. I know this words are harsh, but if India does this than it is disgraceful, but if england does this it is just practise match and it is home team tactics. Shame on ECB and english supporters first think twice about the mistake you created a year and hallf before and than point out the finger on others and whitle pointing out fingers to other, think another 4 fingers are towards you. I hope you all have understand what i want to say, so better gel together.

POSTED BY
on | November 11, 2012, 14:02 GMT

if england does its sensible.. if india does its senseless.. 300years da.. we are waiting

POSTED BY
on | November 11, 2012, 14:07 GMT

@Sachin_Pankaj - as has been pointed out endless times, it was India who only requested 1 game, in which Somerset (which some have complained was a weak team on a "green top" nearly bowled India out twice, whilst scoring 500+runs for 4 wickets (iirc). Don't blame the ECB for that! The other "warm ups" were one-day games, which clearly showed the Indian's priorities.... shame they didn't win those internationals either!